a conclusion and the next chapter.

There you see them - the challengers.

These brave bottles all faced our sweet daughter and not a single one of them was victorious. She could not be outsmarted or convinced to enjoy the tasty breast milk that flowed from the carefully warmed nipples. Not even the "she will drink when she is hungry enough" theory works for our precious little one. We tried that, too.

So, the conclusion has been determined. We are a team, she and I. We will continue our bonding every three hours despite the fact that tomorrow I will be wearing my blue scrubs and squeezing her feedings in between my patient's therapy sessions. I am surprisingly okay with that. I have prayed a lot about this and can see that the relationship that we have developed during our countless nursing sessions is working out for her. She is growing and thriving, and that makes me happy.

It is okay with me that she will entertain no other option to meet her hunger demands. Someday she will be so busy exploring her world and running around that she will barely have time to notice me. It will be then that I can look back and feel my heart smile as I remember all of the precious times we have shared together. After all, we are a team, she and I. And I feel strongly in my heart that God wants us to stay connected. He chose me as her mother and I will continue to do my best to protect her and love her, even if it is a challenge at times.

So, the next chapter begins tomorrow as I drop her at daycare, but I can face this challenge knowing we are a team. She needs me and I need her. It is really as simple as that.